Designed for success: Auburn's Sal Cannella plans football, fashion careers

Opens in a new window NNella Designs
Designed for success: Auburn's Sal Cannella plans football, fashion careersDesigned for success: Auburn's Sal Cannella plans football, fashion careers

NNella Designs launched by Sal Cannella

AUBURN, Ala. – Sal Cannella found the inspiration for the name of his clothing line in the Auburn football locker room.

"I had a bunch of designs, but I was really struggling with finding that right name," said Cannella, who graduated from Auburn University in December in interdisciplinary studies including a focus on apparel design. "You want something that's going to click. It's simple and pretty clean."

While discussing possible names, fellow receiver Zach Farrar covered the first two letters of the nameplate on Cannella's locker.

"And he goes, 'Nnella," recalled Sal, an Auburn receiver from 2017-19. "And I'm like, 'Heck, yeah.' I can do the double N as the logo because I have two Ns in my last name. That's right where it started. It was like that whoa moment. I didn't turn back once."

Cannella, who learned to sew from his mother, tailored his shirts, jerseys and jeans before he arrived on the Plains. At Auburn, he further polished his fashion skills.

"They taught us how to make shirts from the bottom up," he said. "Shirts, pants, skirts. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable, but it definitely helped keep me consistently good with it."

When creating products, Cannella often begins with a sketch before developing the concept on his computer.

"I have templates and I'm able to take pictures, crop them and put it right into the program," he said. "I choose the material, the stitching, the colors, the sizes, everything."

Cannella then sends his specifications to a manufacturer, who carries out Sal's directives when creating the product.

"I can personally make it myself, but if you're looking to make a profit, finding a good manufacturer you trust is the best option," he said.  

Cannella wants his customers to be 'blown back" by his creations: from the presentation in the box to the detail of the product. On his NNella Designs website, Cannella promotes "a custom, high-end, streetwear clothing collection made with nothing but quality fabrics."

"I want it be known for, first of all, the quality," he said. "That's one thing I pride myself in. If I'm going to put my name behind something, it's going to be something I'm proud of."

For now, apparel design is still a side gig for Cannella, who's planning a "summer drop" of shorts and a new shirt in late July. Football remains his preferred occupation.  The coronavirus pandemic cancelled NFL rookie camps and limited the signing of undrafted free agents. Undaunted, Cannella is confident his shot will come, after talking with a half-dozen NFL teams.

"They all told me to keep working and not get discouraged," he said. "They all told me I'm going to get signed. That's all I ever needed. That's all I could ever ask for. I know I'll take full advantage of it. That's all I needed at junior college was an opportunity."

The 6-5, 228-pound Cannella maximized his opportunity at Auburn, becoming a reliable red zone target. His toe-tap touchdown catch in the 2019 Iron Bowl helped the Tigers defeat Alabama in Sal's Jordan-Hare Stadium finale.

"What stands out to me are the relationships I made," said Cannella, who moved home to Arizona after Auburn's Pro Day in March. "The games at Jordan-Hare, all of the electrifying moments, the time I had with my teammates in the locker room.

"The big plays that you make, those are some of the best feelings I've ever had. All that hard work. I'm happy about everything that happened there. It's made me into the man I am today. I've got some forever, lifelong friends. Those are some moments I'll be telling my kids about one day when I get older."

On that day, the future children of Sal Cannella will be easy to spot. They'll be rocking NNella gear.

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer